Why do gulf countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia not have democratic governments and who runs the government of these countries?

Answer 1

Answer 1The question is nice but the answer depends on various factors.

1> They are Islamic nations & Islam is purely anti - democratic by nature. If at all Islamic nations become democratic, they remain democracy only by name; example - PAK. The only governance supported by Islam is Tyrannical Dictatorship.

2> They hate USA. This is common with nations who believe in Islam. Since, USA had waged war for democracy, they hate democracy as well.

3> Their government is run by Terrorists named as Wahhabis. They sponsor funds for terrorism related purpose example - 9/11 attacks

Answer 2

The primary reason that Arab Gulf countries remain dictatorships is that historically, all countries were dictatorships. Eventually, some countries asserted that the authoritarians had to respect their rights. When armies learned that they might not receive enough food or luxuries for defending the dictator, they would join the people, leaving leadership unable to defend itself and willing to accede to some demands. Over time, these demands led to increasing the people's control over government.

In the Gulf States, the Kings, Emirs, and Sultans do not have to worry about their soldiers turning against them. The money they accrue through the sale of petroleum and petroleum products more than suffices to buy desirable goods on the foreign market. They can also quiet dissent by paying off the citizenry whenever they get "ideas", serving to prevent any change in power structure.

As for Answer 1, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Turkey are all functioning majority-Muslim democracies. Muslims have also led protests for increasing democratization in countries like Iran, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Egypt, and Tunisia. It is perfectly permissible for Muslims who have deep religious sentiments to agree to democracy; the issue is that Islamists (parties intent on using Islamic Law as a basis of governance) often control the conversation in majority-Muslim countries and prevent liberal dissidents from being heard.